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Hawaii Immigrant Justice Center at the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii

  • Location:
    245 N Kukui Street
    Ste. 206
    Honolulu, HI 96817
  • Phone:
    (808) 536-4302
  • Toll-free:
    1-800-499-4302
  • TTY:
    (808) 536-4302
  • Fax:
    (808) 537-4644
  • Contact methods:
    Phone calls
  • Appointments accepted:
    No

The Hawaii Immigrant Justice Center (HIJC) at the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii provides free legal services to eligible indigent immigrants living in the State of Hawaii.  We also conduct community outreach and education, host free legal clinics, and provide training on a variety of immigration and related civil rights issues. We provide legal assistance to:

  • Immigrant victims of domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, and victims of other violent crimes by obtaining VAWA Self Petitions, Battered Spouse Waivers, T and U nonimmigrant visas, and other immigration relief.
  • Immigration assistance to citizens of the Freely Associated States.
  • Reunite families, including reuniting families separated by human trafficking and abuse.
  • Immigrant victims of crime in removal proceedings. 
  • Legal permanent residents who want to naturalize to become US citizens.
  • Immigrants seeking to renew or replace documents, e.g., green card or naturalization certificate. 
  • Immigrants with limited English proficiency by advocating for equal access to government and government-funded services.

In addition to practicing immigration law, HIJC is part of the larger law firm of Legal Aid that advocates for the rights of immigrants, including those discriminated against because of their national origin, race, or other protected class.  For example, Legal Aid has advocated for immigrants denied critical public benefits, like subsidized housing, financial assistance, food stamps for US citizen children or eligible aliens (battered spouses), and QUEST.  HIJC has brought Title IX (sex discrimination in federally funded educational institutions) and language access challenges on behalf of our clients.  We have worked with federal and state agencies to win monetary awards against traffickers for our clients who are victims of human trafficking.  We provide holistic legal services to address the multifaceted needs of our clients.

State served: Hawaii

Services Provided

Are immigration legal services provided? Yes
Areas of immigration legal assistance: Adjustment of Status, Employment authorization, Naturalization/Citizenship, Removal hearings, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, T visas, U visas, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) petitions
Types of immigration legal services provided: Help completing forms, Filings with USCIS, Representation before the Immigration Court
Other areas of legal assistance: Civil Rights, Debt/Credit/Bankruptcy, Disability, Elder Law, Employment, Family & Juvenile, Foreclosure, Homeless, Public Benefits
Non-legal services: Administrative advocacy (CIS/ICE/CBP), Legal Orientation Programs (LOP) / Know Your Rights Presentations (KYR), Referrals to other services
Populations served: Domestic Violence Victims, Farm workers, Human Trafficking Survivors, Individuals with physical/mental disabilities, Juveniles, Lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender
Languages spoken: Chinese, English, Japanese, Marshallese, Spanish, Vietnamese, We provide free interpretation in all languages to clients
Access to a commercial interpreting service or language bank: Yes
Nominal fee charged? No
Other information: Services are subject to LSC funding restrictions. This office can help victims of certain crimes.

Staffing Information

Number of attorneys on staff: 4
Is organization BIA recognized? No
Number of fully accredited BIA representatives on staff: 0
Number of partially accredited BIA representatives on staff: 0
Number of paralegals/legal workers on staff: 3

Additional Details

Pro Bono opportunities? Yes
Network affiliations: American Immigration Lawyers Association

Volunteering

Volunteer Coordinator
Maya Scimeca
(808) 536-4302 ext. 205
Other Information http://www.legalaidhawaii.org/volunteer.html